Friday, July 18, 2014

The Noisy Paint Box (Children’s Book)

“It took a long time for people to understand.
‘Is it a house?’ ’Is it a flower?’ ’What’s it supposed to be?’
‘It’s my art.’ Vasya answered ‘How does it make you feel?’”

When I attended an exhibit of Kandinsky’s art a couple of weeks ago, a key turned in my mind, opening the door to a wonderful room that I never knew existed. I wanted to learn more about the grandfather of abstract art.

The Noisy Paint Box written by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Mary Grandprѐ is aimed at primary school aged children. It describes how Kandinsky’s synesthesia led to the creation of abstract art. The words and illustrations help the reader get a feeling for Kandinsky, an experience that is enjoyable for both adult and young readers.

I don’t have a lot of experience with children’s books, but the vocabulary level seemed a bit high to me: “cerulean point,” “Fugue,” “Improvisation.” Perhaps this is a nice book to introduce children to some new art and music concepts.